TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring said the government will shut down telecommunication operators involved in illegal tapping. "They could be closed down if proved to actively support illegal tapping," Tifatul said, Tuesday.

The government is still investigating the tapping of 1.8 million Indonesian mobile phone users by Australia’s intelligence agency, said Minister Tifatul. "We will see whether they are involved." Previously, two telecommunication operators, Indosat and Telkomsel, were reportedly involved in tapping on Indonesian mobile phone users.

Based on use of cellphone data in 2012, Telkomsel had at least 212 million customers, while Indosat had 52 million customers. Both operators cover 77 percent of cellphone users in Indonesia.

Australia is not the only one involved in spying. New York Times reported two days ago that based on a classified document from Edward Snowden, the US National Security Agency (NSA) gave access to Australian Signals Directorate to obtain data from spying in 2013. The document said Australia has monitored a US law firm used in representing Indonesia during trade disputes with the US, including the US ban on clove cigarettes and the export of prawns.